Hot Honey Wings
Hot Honey Wings are sweet and spicy chicken party wings that are the perfect appetizer or game day food! Hot Honey Chicken Wings are made in the air fryer, making them super crispy and fast!
With the Super Bowl coming up, I have game day food on my brain. We typically make my Big Mac Sliders every year, along with some Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings and Black Bean Corn Salsa for a nice spread. While we do love classic buffalo chicken wings, I have been wanting to make hot honey wings for awhile.
These Hot Honey Chicken Wings are so crazy good! This hot wings recipe definitely takes the #1 spot in my wing recipes. They are spicy, sweet, and seriously so full of flavor!
Jump to:
Ingredients
Chicken Wings - I used a combination of wings and drummettes.
Spices - I used smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
Baking Powder - this helps dry out the wings to get them super crispy.
Unsalted Butter - melted butter is in the hot honey.
Honey - of course we need honey for hot honey wings!
Red Pepper Flakes - this lends the heat to the hot honey.
Hot Sauce - I used Frank's hot sauce to add spice and some flavor to the glaze.
Refer to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients.
Variations
Different Spices - add some extra cayenne pepper to the spice mixture to make the wings even spicier.
Fresh Chilies - instead of using dried red pepper chili flakes, you can use fresh chiles in the hot honey. Simply dice up one hot chili and add it to the hot honey. Let it cook for 5 minutes and then sit for 15 minutes to infuse the hot chili flavor into the honey.
Dipping Sauces - I serve these hot honey wings with extra hot honey glaze but you could also serve them with ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Chicken Drumsticks - instead of small chicken wings, you can also use this recipe to make chicken drumsticks.
Step by Step Recipe Instructions
Photo 1. Lay out the chicken wings on a plate and pat thoroughly with a paper towel. This is an important step because getting them as dry as possible helps get them crispy!
Photo 2. In a bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and baking soda.
Photo 3. Toss the wings in the spice mixture in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Photo 4. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. Add the chicken wings, making sure the wings aren't overlapping too much. You will likely have to do two batches, depending on how big your air fryer is. Air fry for 15 minutes, then flip the wings and cook another 5 minutes.
Photo 5. While the wings are cooking, make the hot honey. Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
Photo 6. Once melted, slowly whisk in the honey. Add the red pepper flakes and hot sauce and stir until well combined. Simmer/boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Photo 7. Remove the wings from the air fryer basket once they are cooked.
Photo 8. Place the wings in a bowl with ½ cup of the hot honey and toss well to combine. Serve with the remaining hot honey sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
Be sure to pat the wings thoroughly with paper towels to remove excess liquid.
Baking powder is used to help dry out the wings, which helps get them extra crispy.
Serving Suggestions - these wings are delicious with some extra hot honey sauce or homemade Greek yogurt Ranch. They'd also be a great accompaniment to Maid Rites or Buffalo Chicken Sliders on game day.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Just be careful not to overcrowd the air fryer. I make these in two batches so you might have to do 3-4 batches depending on the size of your air fryer, if you double it.
Turn your oven on to its Warm setting (or 200 degrees) and place on a baking sheet. Keep the wings in the warm oven until ready to serve.
Yes you can bake these wings if you don't have an air fryer. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the wings on a wire rack and bake for 20 minutes. Flip and cook another 15 minutes.
I cook these wings at 400 degrees in the air fryer for 20 minutes.
Other Game Day Recipes to Consider
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.
Hot Honey Wings
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wings
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoon baking powder
Hot Honey
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon hot sauce
Instructions
- Pat the raw wings with a paper towel until dry.
- In a bowl, mix together the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and baking powder.
- Toss the chicken wings in the spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Add the wings to the air fryer, making sure the wings aren't touching. I do this in two batches. Cook for 15 minutes. Flip and cook another 5 minutes.
- While the wings are cooking, add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Once melted, slowly whisk in the honey, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce.
- Whisk until well combined.
- Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
- Toss ½ cup of the sauce with the cooked wings. Serve the wings with the remaining sauce. Enjoy!
